White hot! Rooney Mara is the epitome of ethereal beauty at the Tokyo premiere of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Forget the ubiquitous honey-skinned starlets replete with regulation hair extensions, Rooney Mara is the kind of actress with the unique beauty to define an era.

The 26-year-old New Yorker, of misty, ethereal Irish stock, is utterly natural - save for her raven black tresses, which were dyed for her part in the critically acclaimed adaptation of the late Stieg Larsson's best selling novel.

Such a dramatic hue is hard to wear with its propensity to drain the skin, but in Rooney's case it merely highlights her flawless skin, light eyes and slight pink colouring.

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Otherwordly: Rooney Mara is ethereal at the Tokyo premiere of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo today

Beguiling creature: Mara was spectacular in her structured white halterneck gown which tapered into a beautiful backless design

And for the Tokyo premiere of the the hit film, Rooney accented her attributes by donning a stunning white halterneck gown with structured ruffles and a backless design.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star was seen jetting out of Los Angeles to Tokyo with her boyfriend Charles McDowell yesterday.

She showed off her stunning bare-faced complexion by pulling back her ebony locks back in a ponytail.

Perfection: Mara is a modern day Audrey Hepburn with her peerless good looks and style

Pretty as a picture: Mara is made up for this public appearance, but she barely needs the assistance

Dressed all in black, the actress looked comfortable and chic as she prepared for her long 10-hour flight.

The duo's trip comes as Mara missed out on a nod at tonight's Screen Actors Guild Awards.

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The actress who was nominated for a Golden Globe and is up for an Oscar next month, didn't make the list of ladies up for Best Actress including Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, Tilda Swinton and Michelle Williams.

Overwhelmed: Rooney is still getting used to the stardom a role like this bestows and giggled at her round of applause in the auditorium

A Whiter Shade of Pale: No fake tan was needed to make this dress wearable for the rising star

Star guests: Japanese model Nanao appeared with Mara, as did the film's director David Fincher

Mara has won rave reviews for her role of edgy computer hacker Lisbeth Salander in the latest film adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

The actress, who made her name in The Social Network and 1984 horror flick A Nightmare On Elm Street, has been busy attending several awards show and parties in the last few weeks.

Shy? Rooney appeared somewhat overwhelmed by the crowd at the Tokyo press conference

Big reception: It's no wonder Rooney might have seemed apprehensive given the large crowd of fans

The premiere comes in the lead-up to the Oscars at the end of this month, where Mara has been nominated for her role in the movie taken from Stieg Larsson’s Millennium book series.

Mara recently told CBS News more about her nominated role.

‘I think she is so appealing because you don’t really know who she is and she’s sort of someone who can’t be defined. She can’t be put in a neat little box and that makes her very compelling for people.

'You never know what you’re going to get from her, she’s very unpredictable.

Monochrome: On Tuesday the star attended another press conference in a white and black ensemble

All the frills: The US actress has been on a busy promotional tour

‘She’s extremely strong and fierce, but in that same moment she also has a lot of vulnerability and she has all these contradicting sides to her.’

And while the film has received major praise among the world of cinema so far, the crime/thriller has hit a sizable ban in one area of the globe after India's Central Board of Film Certification deemed sex scenes too much for their audience.

A statement on the issue was released, reading, 'Sony Pictures will not be releasing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in India. The censor board has judged the film unsuitable for public viewing in its unaltered form and, while we are committed to maintaining and protecting the vision of the director, we will, as always, respect the guidelines set by the board.'